My first introduction to Elle Kennedy as an author was with her cooperation with another author as author duo Erin Watt. Not long after, I picked up her solo stuff as well and started with the “Off-Campus” series. That was 2019 I believe, just a few years after my own college graduation. In the meantime, the spin-off series “Briar U” got published with The Chase as the first novel. I’ve left this one on the shelf since 2020 and since one of my reading goals for 2024 was to read at least 10 of my backlist books, it was time to finally pick this up. Was it still the type of book I am looking for?

About the book

The Chase by Elle Kennedy
Series: Briar U #1
Published by Bloom Books on February 28, 2019
Pages: 361
Genres: Contemporary, New adult, Romance

Everyone says opposites attract. And they must be right, because there’s no logical reason why I’m so drawn to Colin Fitzgerald. I don’t usually go for tattoo-covered, video-gaming, hockey-playing nerd-jocks who think I’m flighty and superficial. His narrow view of me is the first strike against him. It doesn’t help that he’s buddy-buddy with my brother.
And that his best friend has a crush on me.
And that I just moved in with them.
Oh, did I not mention we’re roommates?
I suppose it doesn’t matter. Fitzy has made it clear he’s not interested in me, even though the sparks between us are liable to burn our house down. I’m not the kind of girl who chases after a man, though, and I’m not about to start. I’ve got my hands full dealing with a new school, a sleazy professor, and an uncertain future. So if my sexy brooding roomie wises up and realizes what he’s missing?
He knows where to find me.

My review

Before reading

In the past, I’ve really enjoyed college romances and especially books by this author. That’s what has drawn me into the “off-Campus” series in the first place: romance and new adult. Both genres were fairly new to me back then and I just graduated from college myself. I was curious whether this particular book would hold up since my college graduation has been longer ago and I’m currently a working adult. Moreover, my reading preferences have changed and I have discovered so many new books. However, I was hoping to find some of that nostalgic feeling when picking up this book. Unfortunately, this didn’t live up to my expectations at all. In fact, annoyance is the best feeling to describe my reading experience.

Characters

In this story, we follow both Summer and Collin Fitzgerald (Fitz). We got a glimpse of both in the “off-Campus” series already, especially from Fitz. Summer is one of the main character’s of earlier mentioned series younger sister and Fitz his former teammate. Summer got expelled from college and hopes to get a fresh start at Briar. Her first impression is one of a naïve, spoiled, shallow girl from a very, very rich background. She gives off such vibes for most part of the story. Even the other characters in this book think she’s like this, much to Summer’s dismay. When you take a closer look however, you see that there’s more to Summer than meets the eye. She has learning difficulties which makes people think she’s stupid. But, why is she going to college if she was indeed stupid? In my opinion, she is not receiving the support from the university she needs in order to succeed and to give her more self-esteem. I don’t know about such arrangements in the US, but for me who attended a Dutch university, it’s strange. Unfortunately, this is the most intriguing part of Summer’s character, because this makes her quite “different” from most characters in new adult romances. Besides this, she’s not that interesting. This applies to Fitz as well, he is not as interesting as I’d hoped and maybe expected. He’s an ice hockey player – like duh – but he has more hobbies which also get some attention. He’s a proud nerd. Unfortunately, he has been written in such a way that it’s hard to get to know him. He undergoes some growth, but it’s little, late and quick. For me, it felt quite unbelievable. As these characters are uninteresting, it’s impossible to feel the chemistry.

Writing

Even though I didn’t really like these characters, the writing is fine. It’s not unique, just ordinary which provides me with familiarity and gave me the ability to finish this book fast. I think this is Kennedy’s trademark, because this applies to all her books I’ve read. The POV switching was handled well and was necessary for the execution of this book. It’s not bad, but not outstanding either.

Plot

Since this is a romance, the novel is character driven with just a thin plotline. Usually, character driven books suit me well, but not this time. If it wasn’t for the important themes Kennedy included in the story and the fact I was able to read this book fast, I think I might just have put this one on the DNF pile. I notice myself outgrowing this type of romances. They are very formulaic to me now and I’m in a different phase of life. The continuous student drama and parties alike annoyed me a lot, as well as the stereotypes about the portraying of especially the men in this book. They are all driven by lust, which I understand for this type of story, but it’s too much here. The development from enemies to lovers is too quick as well, which makes it feel quite shallow. I would have loved more depth here, but that’s personal preference. I think my reading experiences are too advanced for such stories now. Even though I’ve been annoyed by this book most of the time, I appreciate Kennedy includes some more serious themes into this plot. I’ve stated this briefly before. However, the execution of the main characters dealing with these themes was too shallow to me now.

Final thoughts

I was already afraid for this outcome, but The Chase by Elle Kennedy has been left on the shelf for indeed too long. Even though I was able to finish it quickly because of the writing style, I notice myself outgrowing this type of books. I was able to enjoy them years ago, but they are becoming pretty formulaic and the characters are in a whole other phase of life than I am. Moreover, I didn’t like both main characters which is a bit of a problem when the book is romance and character driven. Furthermore, said romance is going way too fast and lacks depth to me. However, I appreciated the inclusion of more serious themes, but unfortunately it was not enough. I have been annoyed by this book most of the time and that’s unfortunate. I still own the rest of the series so I will be reading them eventually, but I view these books as just quick reads because that’s what they have become to me now.